Citi®
Government
Purchase Card
Cardholder Guide
Citi Commercial Cards
Government Services
Welcome to the Citi
Government Purchase
Card Program
Official Government
purchasing has just become
easier with the Citi®
Government Purchase Card.
Since 1812, Citi has been serving
customers with innovative
banking and financial solutions. In
the credit card industry, Citi has
set the standard for the world.
We have combined our vast
experience in worldwide
procurement and unparalleled
technological expertise to
develop a flexible and convenient
purchasing and payment tool.
Your Citi Government Purchase
Card makes procurement easier,
while protecting against fraud,
saving time and even reducing
paperwork.
Cardholders benefit from:
Worldwide acceptance.
The Citi Government Purchase
Card is accepted at over
27 million merchant locations
and 1,500,000 ATM locations
worldwide.
Exceptional dedicated customer
service, wherever you are.
Our Customer Service Center
is committed to satisfying the
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needs of all Citi Government
Purchase Cardholders. Inside
the U.S., simply call us toll-free
at 1-800-790-7206, 24 hours a
day, seven days a week, every
day of the year. Outside the U.S.,
call collect at 1-904-954-7850.
We are here to answer your questions and provide the assistance
you need.
If you have any emergency
situations, you can contact us
toll-free 24 hours a day, seven
days a week. In addition, you
should reach out to your AOPC to
find out if there are specific procedures that you should follow
during an emergency situation.
This guide presents basic
procedures and rules for card
usage. Should you have questions that are not answered
in this guide, contact your
Agency/Organization Program
Coordinator (APC) or Citi
Customer Service Center.
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Key Responsibilities
As a Cardholder, you have a
number of responsibilities. It is
important to understand these
responsibilities.
• You are responsible for
understanding your Agency/
Organization’s policies
and procedures regarding
the definition of official
Government purchases and
the definition of authorized
purchases, record keeping and
reconciliation.
• You are responsible for
complying with these policies
and procedures when
purchasing goods and services
with the card.
• You are responsible for
informing the merchant of
the tax-exempt status of any
purchases made with your Citi
Government Purchase Card.
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Authorized Use
Your card has been embossed
with your name on it. It is for
your use only. No other member
of your family, office or Agency/
Organization is authorized to
use it. In addition, your card can
be used for official Government
purchases only.
The Federal Acquisition
Streamlining Act did not
abolish the priorities for use of
Government supply sources as
stated in Part Eight of the Federal
Acquisition Regulations. Micro
purchases are not exempt from
this requirement.
The following information is
provided to assist you in locating
sources that can supply required
products and services:
• Committee for Purchase
from People who are Blind or
Severely Disabled*
(Visit http://www.abilityone.
com/ or call 1-703-603-7740)
• GSA Stock Program
(Visit GSA Global supply at:
www.gsaglobalsupply.gsa.gov
You can also call
1-800-525-8027 or fax your
order to 1-800-856-7057)
• GSA Federal Supply Schedules
(Visit GSA’s website at
www.gsa.gov/schedules or call
the National Customer Service
Center at 1-800-488-3111)
• Federal Prison Industries, Inc.
(Visit www.unicor.gov or call
1-800-827-3168)
• For excess supplies from
other Agencies (Visit GSAXcess
at http://gsaxcess.gov or call
1-866-333-7472)
*Under the Javits-Wagner-O’Day (JWOD)
Program, each purchase of a SKILCRAFT
or other JWOD/NIB/NISH product or
service helps to generate employment and
training opportunities for individuals who
are blind or have other severe disabilities.
• National Industries for the
Blind*
(Visit www.nib.org or call
1-800-433-2304)
• NISH*
(Visit www.nish.org or call
1-703-560-6800)
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With an Internet connection,
you can quickly browse through
the GSA online shopping mall
for thousands of commercial
products and services including
JWOD/NIB/NISH and UNICOR
products. GSA Advantage was
designed to link GSA schedule
products, stock items, catalog
descriptions, current pricing and
delivery information in a single
location to make ordering easier
for you. To place an order, you
can use your Citi Government
Purchase Card. The address
for GSA Advantage is
www.gsaadvantage.gov
For any questions regarding
GSA’s Products and Services, call
the National Customer Service
Center (NCSC) at 1-800-488-3111
or DSN 465-1416.
Authorization Controls
Authorization controls provide
your Agency/Organization with
the ability to control how and
where you use your card. Your
card may have the following
controls:
Per transaction dollar limit: The
amount you are authorized to
spend on a single purchase. A
purchase may consist of a single
item or the total value of all items
you purchase at one time.
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Total dollar limit: The amount
you are authorized to spend in a
single billing cycle.
Daily transaction limit: The
number of transactions that
can be authorized during any
given day.
Card usage by Merchant
Category Code (MCC): A code
assigned to a group of merchants
offering similar products and
services. You may be restricted
from using your card at certain
types of merchant establishments
and to specific dollar limits.
Verifying Receipt of
Your Card
You will receive an inactive card
(i.e., a card not yet ready for use)
which is indicated by the sticker
on the card. We request that you
verify receipt of this card as soon
as you receive it. Simply follow
the instructions on the card activation label. Once this process is
completed, your card is verified.
Reporting Lost or
Stolen Cards
Should you lose your card, realize
that it has been stolen, or notice
a fraudulent charge on your
Account Statement, notify your
A/OPC and Citi immediately. To
reach the Citi Customer Service
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Center, call 1-800-790-7206, 24
hours a day, seven days a week,
every day of the year. If you
are outside of the U.S., call Citi
collect at 1-904-954-7850.
After you report a lost or stolen
card, Citi will send you a letter.
Follow the instructions in that
letter. Cards that have been
reported lost or stolen are
blocked immediately from
usage. If unauthorized transactions appear on your Account
Statement, you should contact
the Citi Customer Service Center.
Ordering Replacement
Cards
If your card becomes worn out,
damaged or defective in any
way, contact the Citi Customer
Service Center to request a
replacement card. In the U.S.,
please call 1-800-790-7206.
Outside the U.S., call Citi collect
at 1-904-954-7850.
Agency/Organization’s
tax-exempt status.
Present your Citi Government
Purchase Card for payment.
The merchant will total your
transactions and process your
card through a telephone
authorization system. When the
merchant receives an authorization number, you will be given a
merchant sales receipt.
Carefully review the transaction.
When you are satisfied, sign the
sales receipt. By examining the
receipt prior to signing it, you will
reduce the number of potential
disputes. Keep your sales receipts
to help reconcile your account.
General Card Use and
Reconciliation Procedures
Telephone Transactions: Confirm
all the charges, especially those
above and beyond the cost of
the item. These usually include
shipping and handling costs
or processing charges and will
affect the amount billed to
your account. Be sure to inform
the merchant of your Agency/
Organization’s tax exempt status.
Over-the-counter Purchases:
Using your Citi Government
Purchase Card for over-thecounter purchases is easy and
straightforward. However, before
making a purchase, be sure to
inform the merchant of your
Mail or Catalog Purchases: Mail
or catalog purchases usually
require that you provide the
same information as in a telephone transaction. If there is
an order form, complete all the
necessary information. Be sure
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to provide your shipping address,
a contact name and telephone
number, tax-exempt status and
other pertinent information to
ensure that your goods will be
delivered on time and that your
account will be billed accurately.
E-mail or Internet Purchases:
When making Internet purchases,
you can avoid disputes by giving
your account information only
to reputable merchants. Many
Internet sites also have security
software, which prevents theft of
your account information.
Provide all the pertinent
information requested, including
shipping address, name and
telephone number, correct
account information and your
Agency/Organization’s tax
exempt status. Also provide
the merchant with the shipping
requirements of your Agency/
Organization.
Reconciliation Procedures:
Cardholders are required to
reconcile all transactions posted
to their statement. Good recordkeeping is important as we have
described in the paragraphs
above. Your agency may require
you to keep a log of purchases
and receipts which should be
verified against transactions that
you see posted to your statement.
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You must have documentation
for all purchases and transactions
that have posted to your account.
Convenience checks
Convenience checks are issued to
designated Cardholders and can
be used at merchants worldwide
that do not accept the Citi
Government Purchase Card.
Like any other checks, keep these
in a safe and secure place. If your
convenience checks are ever lost
or stolen, call the Citi Customer
Service Center immediately at
1-800-790-7206 in the U.S., or
call collect at 1-904-954-7850 if
you are outside the U.S. If additional checks are needed, contact
your A/OPC.
Convenience checks are
subject to the authorized uses
established by your Agency/
Organization.
Additionally, the checks may
be printed with a “NOT TO
EXCEED” dollar amount. Cleared
convenience checks will be shown
on your Account Statement,
reflecting the check number, the
amount, the payee name and the
date the check was processed.
Your A/OPC can answer any
other questions regarding your
Agency/Organization’s policies
and use of convenience checks.
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Account Statement
A paper statement will be mailed
within five business days or an
electronic Account Statement
will be available within two days
of the end of each billing cycle.
The Account Statement will show
all transactions that were posted
during the billing cycle. You are
required to review the statement to verify that you made all
the charges and that they are
correct.
Memo statement
x
C
Bu
t
Du
z
E
Your Agency/Organization has
set deadlines for reconciling
accounts. Consult your A/OPC for
these and other important details
about reconciling your account.
A sample Account Statement is
shown on the opposite page. It is
important to familiarize yourself
with its details. The Account
Statement includes:
A.Invoice Date
B.Cardholder’s Name and
Address
C. Amount Due in total dollars
D.Citi Customer Service Center
toll-free and collect telephone
numbers
E.Citi Customer Service Center
address
*Information about transaction disputes
is shown on the reverse side of the
statement.
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A
Foreign Currency
Conversion
The CitiDirect Electronic
Access System (EAS)
If you make charges to your Citi
Government Purchase Card in a
foreign currency, your transaction will be posted and shown
on your Account Statement in
U.S. dollars. The Bank will pass
along all charges assessed by
the bankcard associations. The
total foreign currency transaction
fee will either be added to, and
integrated with, the applicable
currency conversion rate or
added to, and integrated with, the
posted transaction amount.
Citi provides a web-based electronic access system (EAS)
designed for cardholders to
access account and other cardrelated information online.
The Citi EAS has a broad array
of features and functionality,
for your access, based on your
entitlements. You can view your
statement, review transactions,
maintain your profile, receive
e-mail alerts, perform accounting
code reallocations, add notes on
transactions and send your statement to your approving official.
Resolving Transaction
Disputes
You are responsible for initiating
the dispute resolution process
if your Account Statement lists
charges which are:
• Unauthorized
• Incorrect
• For merchandise that has not
been received
• For returned merchandise
You should also initiate the
process if your Account
Statement incorrectly lists a
credit as a charge or if a credit,
for which you have been issued a
credit slip, is not shown.
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To begin the dispute resolution
process, Citi offers options for
you. You can call our Customer
Service Department, mail us the
cardholder dispute form, fax
this form to us or use the Citi
Electronic Access System (EAS).
Many disputes can be resolved
over the phone; however, as a
follow-up we may ask you to fax
us a form for
documentation purposes.
If you have access to the Citi EAS
you can initiate your dispute electronically. In the CitiDirect Card
Management System (CCMS),
when you are reviewing transactions on your statement and see
a transaction that you believe
needs to be disputed, please
follow these steps:
Expand the transactions by clicking on the “+” sign next to the
transaction. Additional detail will
be displayed.
To initiate a dispute, click on
the “Dispute” button below the
transaction display.
A pop up Dispute Form will
appear.
Complete the form and click
“Submit.”
initiation electronically.
If you choose to use fax
or mail, please retrieve the
Cardholder Dispute Form at
www.citimanager.com or contract
your AOPC.
Mail your form to:
Citi
PO Box 6125
Sioux Falls, SD 57117
Or fax your form to:
1-605-357-2019
You must return the form to Citi
within 60 days of the disputed
Account Statement. If you do
not submit the form within
this time frame, you may be
responsible for payment of the
charges.
You are not responsible for
payment of any disputed
amount while Citi is researching the dispute. However, your
Agency/Organization must still
pay the amount of the bill that
is not in dispute status.
For more information about
resolving disputes, call the
Citi Customer Service Center
at 1-800-790-7206. Outside the U.S., call collect at
1-904-954-7850.
This completes your disputes
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Suspension/Cancellation
Procedures
If your card is used for unauthorized purposes, Citi has your
Agency/Organization’s permission
to suspend or cancel your card.
Additionally, your A/OPC and the
GSA Contracting Officer have
the authority to void account
numbers or suspend or cancel
accounts under their purview.
Citi, in coordination with your
Agency/Organization, may
reinstate suspended/cancelled
accounts upon request of the
Agency/Organization.
Citi Customer Service Center
toll-free number:
1-800-790-7206.
Outside the U.S., call collect at
904-954-7850.
Available 24 hours a day, seven
days a week, every day of the
year.
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Index
Welcome
1
Cardholder Benefits
1
Key Responsibilities 3
Authorized Use 4
Authorization Controls 6
Verifying Receipt of
Your Card
7
Reporting Lost or
Stolen Cards
7
Ordering Replacement Cards 8
General Card Use and
Reconciliation Procedures
8
Account Statement 12
Foreign Currency Conversion 14
The CitiDirect Card
Management System (CCMS) 15
Resolving Transaction
Disputes
15
Suspension/Cancellation
Procedure
18
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